JP2002104475A - Method for processing top surface of port of glass bottle, method and apparatus for sealing glass bottle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent a sealing strength of a glass bottle from being decreased, reduce a disturbance in the sealing strength and improve both a sealing characteristic and easiness in seal opening operation. SOLUTION: A top surface of a port of a glass bottle is applied with a processing of ionized gas and/or a processing by dried gas, thereby moisture, organic materials and carbonate produced under weathering adhered to the top surface of the port of the glass bottle are removed before sealing the glass bottle, resulting in that both sealing characteristic and easy seal opening characteristic are improved.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for treating the top of a glass bottle to improve the seal bonding strength and the variation in the seal bonding strength when the mouth of the glass bottle is sealed with a sealing material. The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for sealing a glass bottle using this method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a cap in which a sealing material (a laminated layer of a synthetic resin film is laminated on the lower surface of an aluminum foil) is attached to the mouth of a glass bottle, and high frequency heating is performed. A high-frequency heating seal for welding and sealing a synthetic resin film as a sealing material on the top surface, or a sealing material (one with an adhesive layer of a synthetic resin film on the back surface) There is known a heat seal in which a synthetic resin film is welded by heating from the front side to seal the film. Conventionally, when these seals are performed on the mouth of a glass bottle, no special treatment has been performed on the top surface of the mouth of the glass bottle.

[0003]

In high-frequency heating seals, heat seals, and the like, if there is a portion where the seal strength is low, the seal tends to be broken. Since the breakage of the seal must be absolutely avoided, the high frequency must be applied to increase the seal strength as a whole. Then, there is a problem that a portion having extremely strong sealing strength is generated, and it becomes difficult to open the sealing member. Furthermore, the sealing strength may be reduced due to moisture and organic substances attached to the glass bottle, weathering of the glass, and the like, and the sealing property may be impaired. The present invention removes water, organic matter, carbonate generated by weathering and the like attached to the top surface of the mouth of the glass bottle before sealing,
It is an object of the present invention to prevent a decrease in seal strength, reduce variations in seal strength, and improve both sealability and ease of opening.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is a method for treating the top of a glass bottle, wherein the top of the mouth is treated with ionized gas. Treatment with ionized gas involves corona discharge, plasma discharge,
By performing ultraviolet irradiation, electron beam irradiation, ion irradiation, or the like, the vicinity of the mouth becomes a high energy state, and the air is ionized and acts on the top surface of the mouth.

[0005] By performing the treatment with the ionized gas, moisture on the glass surface is removed, impurities (weathering substances, organic substances) on the glass surface are removed, and very minute irregularities on the molecular level are formed on the glass surface. Since the effect of changing the chemical properties of the glass surface occurs, it can be inferred that if the mouth is sealed after this treatment, the seal adhesive strength will be increased. Further, since moisture and impurities adhering to the glass surface cause variations in the adhesive strength of the seal, the removal of these elements also reduces the variations in the adhesive strength of the seal.

Further, the present invention is a method for treating the top of a glass bottle, wherein the top of the mouth is treated with a dry gas. The treatment with the dry gas can be realized by blowing hot air on the top of the bottle mouth with a drier or the like. As a result, moisture attached to the top surface of the mouth of the glass bottle is removed, so that if the mouth is sealed after the treatment, the seal adhesive strength is increased.

[0007] When the treatment with the dry gas and the treatment with the ionized gas are used together, the removal of moisture is more completely performed than in the case of the treatment with the ionized gas alone. Is further reduced.

Further, the present invention provides a conveying means for conveying a glass bottle, an ionized gas processing means for performing a treatment with ionized gas on a top surface of an opening of the glass bottle in the conveying means, and a glass bottle provided downstream thereof. And a sealing means for sealing an opening of the glass bottle.

According to this device, the mouth of the glass bottle is sealed in a relatively short time after the top surface of the glass bottle is treated with the ionized gas. Variation in adhesive strength is reduced.
Further, since the treatment with the ionized gas is performed on the glass bottles being conveyed by the conveying means, the processing can be easily automated. The glass bottle is filled with the contents prior to sealing the mouth, and this filling step may be before or after the treatment with the ionized gas.

Further, the present invention provides a conveying means for conveying a glass bottle, a dry gas processing means for performing a treatment with a dry gas on a top surface of an opening of the glass bottle in the conveying means, and a glass bottle provided downstream thereof. And a sealing means for sealing an opening of the glass bottle.

According to this apparatus, the mouth of the glass bottle is sealed with the dry gas in a relatively short time after the top surface of the glass bottle is treated with the dry gas, so that the sealing adhesive strength is increased. Further, since the processing by the dry gas is performed on the glass bottles being conveyed by the conveying means, the processing can be easily automated. Prior to sealing the mouth, the vial is filled with the contents, which may be before or after treatment with the dry gas.

Further, the present invention provides a conveying means for conveying a glass bottle, a dry gas processing means for performing a treatment with a dry gas on a top surface of an opening of the glass bottle in the conveying means, and a conveying means provided on a downstream side thereof. A glass characterized by having an ionized gas processing means for performing a treatment with ionized gas on the top surface of the mouth of the glass bottle from above, and a sealing means provided further downstream thereof to seal the mouth of the glass bottle. It is a bottle sealing device.

[0013] According to this apparatus, the mouth of the glass bottle is sealed in a relatively short time after the top surface of the glass bottle is treated with the dry gas and the treatment with the ionized gas. And the variation in seal adhesive strength is further reduced. In addition, since the treatment with the ionized gas and the dry gas is performed on the glass bottle transported by the transport means, the process can be easily automated. The glass bottle is filled with the contents prior to sealing the mouth, but this filling step may be before or after treatment with the dry gas or ionizing gas. In addition, it is preferable from the viewpoint of productivity that the conveying means in the glass bottle sealing device of the present invention conveys the above-mentioned glass bottle in an upright state and performs processing on the top surface of the mouth of the glass bottle from above.

[0014]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 is an explanatory view of an ionized gas treatment by a corona discharge treatment. The corona discharge means is a corona discharge device main body 1 comprising a high-frequency oscillator 7 and a high-voltage transformer 8.
And a thin metal blade-shaped electrode 2 connected thereto. When the mouth of the glass bottle G passes directly below the blade-shaped electrode 2, a corona discharge occurs between the blade-shaped electrode 2 and the top of the mouth of the glass bottle G. Processing is performed. The gap between the blade-shaped electrode and the top surface of the glass bottle mouth is 0.5 to several mm.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory view of the glass bottle having a corona discharge treatment on the top surface of the mouth and the seal adhesion strength of the glass bottle without the corona discharge treatment. Eight glass bottles were each left for 2 hours under three humidity conditions of 85%, 53%, and 0%, and corona discharge treatment was performed on the top of the mouth of each of the four bottles under each humidity condition. The corona discharge treatment was performed using the apparatus shown in FIG. 1 at an input voltage of 140 V and a current of 6 A in the apparatus shown in FIG. The remaining four glass bottles under each humidity condition were not subjected to corona discharge treatment. These glass bottles were sealed by high-frequency heating, and the seal adhesive strength was measured. The seal adhesive strength was measured at four locations for each bottle, and the average value and variation are shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, those subjected to the corona discharge treatment have higher seal adhesive strength than those without the corona discharge treatment. In addition, the corona-discharge-treated one has a relatively small slope of the graph, so that it is hardly affected by humidity. In addition, since the sealing strength increases as the humidity decreases, it can be seen that if the moisture is removed by performing the treatment with the dry gas before performing the corona discharge treatment (the treatment with the ionized gas), the sealing strength is further improved. . FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the plasma discharge processing. The plasma discharge unit is a plasma discharge device 10 including a high-pressure transformer 11, an air blow 12, and a wire-type electrode 13 facing each other. Plasma generator 10
Applies a high-frequency voltage of the high-voltage transformer 11 to the opposing wire-type electrode 13, in a discharge state at the beginning of arc discharge,
The air is ionized (plasma), and the plasma is blown out by blowing air between the electrodes 13.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view of the glass bottle having the top surface of the mouth subjected to the plasma discharge treatment and the seal bonding strength of the glass bottle not subjected to the plasma discharge treatment. Four glass bottles were allowed to stand for two hours under three humidity conditions of 80%, 58% and 0%, respectively, and a plasma discharge treatment was performed on the top of the mouth of each of the two bottles under each humidity condition. The plasma discharge treatment was performed by the apparatus shown in FIG. 3, and the top of the mouth of the glass bottle was irradiated with plasma for about 5 seconds. No plasma discharge treatment was performed on the remaining two glass bottles under each humidity condition. These glass bottles were sealed with a sealing material having the same configuration as described above by high-frequency heating, and the seal adhesive strength was measured. The seal adhesive strength was measured at four locations for each bottle, and the average value and variation are shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, those subjected to the plasma discharge treatment have higher seal adhesive strength than those not subjected to the plasma discharge treatment. Also, since the lower the humidity, the higher the sealing strength, the plasma discharge treatment (treatment with ionized gas)
It can be understood that if a treatment with a dry gas is performed to remove water before performing the sealing, the sealing strength is further improved.

FIGS. 5 to 7 are explanatory views of the glass bottle sealing device of the present invention. FIG. 5 shows a conveying means 6 for a glass bottle such as a conveyor, a corona discharge treatment, a plasma discharge treatment, an ultraviolet irradiation treatment, an ionizing gas treatment means 9 such as an electron beam irradiation treatment or an ion irradiation treatment, a contents filling means 4, a sealing means. 5. The glass bottle G conveyed in the direction of the arrow on the conveying means 6 is subjected to ionized gas processing on the top surface of the mouth by the ionized gas processing means 9. On the downstream side of the ionized gas processing means 9, a content filling means 4 is arranged, and the bottle is filled with the content at this portion. A sealing means 5 such as high-frequency heating is arranged on the downstream side, and a seal and a lid are attached to the mouth of the bottle at this portion. FIG. 6 shows an example in which the ionized gas processing means 9 is replaced with
This is a case where the dry gas processing means 3 is used. By blowing dry gas (hot air) from the dry gas processing means 3 using a dryer or the like to the top of the mouth, moisture is removed and dry gas processing is performed. The downstream side of the dry gas processing means 3 is the same as in FIG. FIG. 7 shows a case where the dry gas processing means 3 and the ionized gas processing means 9 are used. Dry gas processing is performed by the dry gas processing means 3 on the most upstream side, and then ionized gas processing is performed by the ionized gas processing means 9 on the downstream side. The downstream side is the same as in FIG. Dry gas processing means 3 or ionized gas processing means 9
Can be provided between the content filling means 4 and the sealing means 5.

[0018]

When the top surface treatment of the present invention is performed prior to the sealing step, the seal adhesive strength in the glass bottle is improved and the variation in the seal adhesive strength is reduced.
Therefore, it is not necessary to make the seal adhesive strength excessively strong by applying high frequency or the like, and the sealing member can be easily opened. Further, since the factor of lowering the seal bonding strength is removed by the treatment of the present invention, the generation of defective products which are incompletely sealed can be almost completely prevented.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of an ionized gas treatment by a corona discharge treatment.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a glass bottle having a corona discharge treatment performed on a top surface of a mouth and a seal adhesion strength of a glass bottle not having the corona discharge treatment.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a plasma discharge process.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a glass bottle having a plasma discharge treatment performed on a top surface of a mouth and a seal adhesion strength of a glass bottle not performing the plasma discharge treatment.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a glass bottle sealing device of the present invention;
This is the case with ionized gas processing means.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of the glass bottle sealing device of the present invention;
This is the case with dry gas processing means.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory view of the glass bottle sealing device of the present invention;
This is the case with the ionized gas processing means and the dry gas processing means.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Corona discharge device main body 2 Blade-shaped electrode 3 Drying machine processing means 4 Contents filling means 5 Sealing means 6 Transport means 7 High frequency oscillator 8 High pressure transformer 9 Ionized gas processing means 10 Plasma generator 11 High pressure transformer 12 Air blow 13 Wire type electrode G glass bottle

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 3E084 AA04 AA12 AA32 BA01 BA08 CA01 CC03 FA09 FD13 GB08 HA01 HC03 HD01 LA01 LB02 LB07 LD01 4G059 AA04 AB05 AB09 AB19 AC03

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A method for treating the top of a glass bottle, wherein the top of the mouth is treated with ionized gas. 2. A method for treating the top of a glass bottle, wherein the top of the mouth is treated with a dry gas. 3. A method for treating the top of a glass bottle, wherein the top of the mouth is treated with a dry gas and a treatment with an ionized gas. 4. The glass bottle according to claim 1, wherein the treatment with the ionized gas is a corona discharge treatment, a plasma discharge treatment, an ultraviolet irradiation treatment, an electron beam irradiation treatment or an ion irradiation treatment. Mouth top surface treatment method 5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the top surface of the mouth of the glass bottle is provided.
A method of sealing a glass bottle, comprising, after performing the treatment of 3 or 4, attaching a sealing material having an adhesive layer on the back surface to the mouth of the bottle and heating while pressing. 6. A conveying means for conveying a glass bottle, an ionized gas processing means for performing a treatment with ionized gas on a top surface of an opening of the glass bottle in the conveying means, and provided on a downstream side thereof.
And sealing means for sealing the mouth of the glass bottle. 7. A conveying means for conveying a glass bottle, a dry gas processing means for performing a treatment with a dry gas on a top surface of an opening of the glass bottle in the conveying means, and provided on a downstream side thereof.
And sealing means for sealing the mouth of the glass bottle. 8. A conveying means for conveying the glass bottle, a dry gas processing means for performing a treatment with a dry gas on the top surface of the mouth of the glass bottle in the conveying means, and provided on a downstream side thereof.
An ionized gas processing means for performing a process with ionized gas on the top of the mouth of the glass bottle from the upper part of the transport means, and further provided downstream thereof, and a sealing means for sealing the mouth of the glass bottle. Glass bottle sealing device 9. The sealing device according to claim 6, wherein
A sealing device for a glass bottle, wherein the ionized gas processing means is a corona discharge means, a plasma discharge means, an ultraviolet irradiation means, an electron beam irradiation means or an ion irradiation means.